We have been on vacation for a few days from Medford to Vancouver and it just worked out that we could take in a Chico game on the way home to Reno. When we found out it was against the Sox, the plan was a lock.

I'll probably write a lot more on my blog when I get home tomorrow evening but here are some notes for now since we had a great time that I'd love to share:

-- Sox won 10-2 with a good offensive showing and a strong pitching performance by James Johnson as he got his first win

-- Game time temp was 100 degrees and it was very humid; reminded me a lot of Baltimore and my fun baseball experiences there last year

-- My wife and I were 2 of 3 Sox fans in the stadium since our kids were at the play park area; the other was Carlos Madrid's significant other--man, she is at all the games!

-- The crowd was small (about 950) but it was a fun environment; I bet the Net is rocking when more people are there.

-- There were a couple of punk college kids yelling obscenities and making idiotic comments (one was that they missed Les Lancaster's fat A** which was bigger since last time); the staffer finally told them to tone it down

-- The staff does the little things right here and I hope the Sox can bring some of these things on board:

1. In addition to rosters, they hand out game notes and current stats. Nice professional touch.

2. The sound system is much better and they use it well with great music

3. Their program is laid out well; Reno's has a lot of pixelated pics as they were probably too small but were streched out for the program. Chico's doesn't have any of that.

4. The playpark and the picnic tables for fans are a nice touch

5. Their team gear is sold from a hard stand trailer; Reno just has a table. This makes Chico seem much more professional. And they have baseball cards of the team which have not been in Reno (so far).

6. Their scoreboard has two things I wish Reno would incorporate...it has the Chico logo on it along with Chico State's; Reno just has the UNR Wolfpack as if the Sox aren't even permenant residents. Chico also lists the players performance for the night (0-2, etc).

7. Chico offers a discount for kids...$2 of normal price of a ticket. Nice touch.

8. Staff pick up trash between innings and lead cheers with "Charge" signs as well as dance during inning breaks.

9. Their staff likes to talk baseball. When I picked up a program, the guy told me all about their new pick-up Jason Alcott. And how letting Bambino go was tough because he was a great guy.

Reno has made great strides this year so hopefully that trend continues. Now that I know how the other half lives, I'll still try not to be too critical of Reno since they have improved the game day operations quite a bit.

All in all a great experience...even after an 8 hour drive from Woodburn, OR. I can't wait to attend another Chico game in the future!

S.Sox

07-24-2007, 01:41 AM

SS Fan,
I have been to Chico for a few games, your ideas are all right...They know thier baseball and love the team!
We need all those things you mentioned, things are improving here as you know..We'll get the upgrades to look as professional as Chico!
How did you like the train??

S.Sox

Silver Sox Fan

07-24-2007, 01:46 AM

Almost forgot that...it was really cool the way they blew their horn as they passed. A definite highlight of my kid's night.

One other thing I forgot...I'm going to check their local paper before we leave tomorrow morning and I'll post on the coverage their receive. I'd like to see if the box score makes it in since we never seem to get that in Reno.

Silver Sox Fan

07-24-2007, 12:33 PM

The coverage in Chico is better than Reno.

Chico has coverage on the local news from what I heard in the breakfast area of the hotel. Unfortunately, that is also something Reno doesn't have consistently.

The paper this morning had a box on the front page about them, the lead story in the sports page, a Outlaws notes section (in which Mark Parent said he was glad not to play Reno anymore since they had already done so in 19 out of the first 43 games). It also noted that Reno leads the league in SBs and HRs which was nice to see. And it had a box score.

In Reno I've only seen a box score about 5-6 times. And generally we get a soft story on a player and a small box on the game written as a staff report (which would seem to indicate that the RGJ reporters aren't there for the whole game).

I know the Sox have worked with the RGJ to improve coverage and they have. And Les is a good interview since he really tells it the way it is...I liked the article where he said having player coaches was a financial decision for Reno. That was management's decision so he accepted it. No spin there.

Not pointing fingers since it is not a problem with the Sox so much as the RGJ. I'll reserve comment as I am sure S.Sox will have no problem expanding on the issues with the Gannett run RGJ :)

S.Sox

07-24-2007, 02:03 PM

SS Fan,
I will say I have lived in a small town like Chico (50K Population, Reno/Sparks aobut 500k), they seem to cover thier teams much better. It may be that they have less things to cover than the Reno paper, the Sox on usually on the 4th or 5th page of our sports page.
Chico also has a better following than the Sox, which might also,lead to better coverage by the local paper.

Just a thought
S.Sox

Silver Sox Fan

07-25-2007, 01:10 PM

For those interested, I gave a more detailed description on my blog with pictures. Let me know what you think.

S.Sox

07-25-2007, 02:14 PM

SS Fan,
Are those upgrades on and around the stadium a result of the Chico St. Baseball program or the Outlaws??

S.Sox

Silver Sox Fan

07-25-2007, 03:13 PM

Not sure on the stadium but I beileve the majority of it was in place when it was built. Also, the Chico Heat played there and were the most successful franchise in the old WBL so I am sure they put some money into it. As for the GBL, they usually do put some upgrades into a stadium like they did in Reno and a few other places. So maybe they did there as well.